'A moment of reckoning': Prince Harry, Duchess Meghan talk racial injustices, equal rights
Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan are continuing to speak candidly about racism.
The royals, who act as president and vice president of The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, joined young leaders from the network to discuss issues of justice and equal rights on July 1 via video, according to the trust's website and a video posted to the trust's YouTube page.
The website also states that the weekly discussions are a response to "the growing Black Lives Matter movement."
During last week's discussion, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were joined by Chrisann Jarrett, QCT Trustee and co-founder of We Belong; Alicia Wallace, director of Equality Bahamas; Mike Omoniyi, founder of The Common Sense Network; and Abdullahi Alim, who leads the World Economic Forum's Global Shapers chapters across Africa and the Middle East.
Meghan described this time as a "moment of reckoning."
"In that self-reflection, it's acknowledging what mistakes we've all made," she said. "Each of us, individually, what have we done in our past? … So many people go, 'I need to own that.' "
Harry chimed in, "When it comes to institutional, systemic racism, it's there and it stays there because someone, somewhere is benefiting from it. We can't deny or ignore the fact that all of us have been brought up and educated to see the world differently, however, once you start to realize that there is that bias there, then you need to acknowledge it."
Meghan added that unconscious bias can take form in unexpected ways.
"It’s not just in the big moments, it’s in the quiet moments where racism and unconscious bias lies and thrives," she said. "It makes it confusing for a lot of people to understand the role that they play in that, both passively and actively.”
The discussion also focused on how young people can help make changes.
“You are the next generation of leadership which this world so desperately needs as it goes through this healing process," Harry said.
Meghan added, "There's nothing that's stopping you now, knowing that you have the attention of the world."
This isn't the first time the royal couple has spoken up about racism.
In 2016, Harry condemned the racist and sexist abuse of his then-girlfriend Meghan. Last week, he stressed the need to tackle institutional racism during a speech he recorded for this year's Diana Awards, a charity for young people set up to honor his late mother.
In a video message shown in the virtual ceremony, the Duke of Sussex said that “institutional racism has no place in our societies, yet it is still endemic.”
Some theorize that racism is what led to the Duke and Duchess' decision to "step back" as senior royals earlier this year.
On CNN's website, analyst Lisa Respers France made her theory plain: Meghan has been subjected to criticism by some Brits from the moment she appeared on the scene and "it's because of her race."
"Meghan, a biracial, divorced American actress, was far from what many envisioned as a fairy-tale match for a beloved member of the British royal family," France wrote. "While many in the U.K. welcomed her, the British tabloid media and a large swath of the Twitterverse were not kind."
Contributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meghan Markle, Prince Harry join call about racial injustices
